Since the skirts of fig leaves which fallen men made for themselves could not cover their shame, God came to seek them and clothed them with garments made of the skins of a slain sacrifice for their covering. This slain, bleeding sacrifice typifies Christ as the substituting Lamb for sinners (John 1:29), who was killed and who shed His blood to make propitiation for the sins of man before God. On the cross He was man’s Substitute and bore man’s sins. He, the righteous One, was judged on behalf of the unrighteous (1 Pet. 3:18) by the righteous God according to His righteousness, that He might remove the barrier of man’s sins, to save man and bring him to God.
God clothed Adam and Eve with the garments which He made of the skins of sacrifices to cover their shame before God that they might be not only justified but also redeemed by God. The skin of the sacrifice is a type of Christ as God’s righteousness, who has become the righteousness of the sinners who believe in Him that they may be justified and live before God. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “Him who did not know sin He made sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Sin came from Satan, who rebelled against God. This sin, which came out of the evil one, entered into man (Rom. 5:12) and made man not only a sinner but sin itself under God’s judgment. Hence, through incarnation Christ became one with us in the flesh and was made sin on our behalf to be judged by God (Rom. 8:3). Moreover, in resurrection He joined us to Himself and made us the righteousness of God in Him. It is through this righteousness that we live before God.
Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve. He inherited the way of redemption which was accomplished by God and passed down to him by his parents, and he lived before God by offering sacrifices. His presenting of sacrifices was not his own invention, nor was it according to his own concept, thought, or way, but according to God’s revelation. He realized that as a fallen man he could not cover his sin with his own work and by his own conduct. He needed to depend on the bleeding sacrifice to satisfy God’s righteous requirement that he might be accepted by God and live before God to have fellowship with God.
The sacrifices offered by Abel to God were the firstlings of his flock (Gen. 4:4). According to Numbers 18:17, the firstling of a sheep was not to be eaten by the Israelites; it had to be offered to God. Hence, the firstlings of the flock offered by Abel were a type of Christ, who is unto God, who lives for God, and who is gentle and tender. Christ, as the eternal Son of the living God, became flesh to be the Son of Man. As such, He is One who is unto God, who lives for God, and who is gentle and tender. On the cross He offered Himself without blemish to God to accomplish God’s will, and He became a sweet savor to satisfy God’s desire. Furthermore, He offered Himself once for all as the one sacrifice for sins (Heb. 9:14; 10:12) to take away the sins of the world (9:28) and accomplish an eternal redemption for us (v. 12). We believers, whose sins He bore and whom He redeemed, are in Him, and through our union with Him, He has become our living to satisfy God’s desire and be accepted by God.